Only jehad can liberate Kashmir

11 April 2002The Hindu

ISLAMABAD: The former chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, has been quoted as saying that the mujahideen (holy fighters) in Kashmir were being suppressed and that Kashmir could be ''liberated only through ''jehad'' (holy war)''. According to the Urdu daily, Ausaf, he was speaking on Tuesday at a Namaz-e-Jinaza (burial ceremony) of ''commander'' Abu Abdullah alias Muhammad Javed Mehmood in Pind Dad Khan. These are the first comments attributed to Prof. Saeed after his recent release from custody by the Pakistan Government. He was arrested by the Musharraf Government days after the December 13 attack on the Indian Parliament under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) on charges of making inflammatory speeches. Under the MPO, a person can be detained only for 90 days and when the period expired he was released from custody last week. Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the banned Jaish-e-Muhammad, was also arrested under the MPO on charges of making inflammatory speeches. The paper quoted Prof. Saeed as saying that the Government was working under foreign pressure and regretted that the mujahideen were being suppressed. Kashmir could be liberated only through jehad and no government in the world or in Pakistan could stop ''jehad''.